Psychotic
by TheDemonsWithin
Summary: Erica and Josie have been forced into being nurses at an insane asylum, thanks to their cruel aunt. The ever optimistic Josie loves the idea, but Erica isn't too thrilled. However, what will happen when Erica falls in love with her patient?
1. The People on the Train

**Author's Note: Once again, I do NOT own any Yu-Gi-Oh! characters. I had something else to say, but I forgot what is was... So, I suppose I can stop now! Enjoy!~**

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Chapter 1: The People on the Train

The boy with the white hair was sitting across from me on the train. He had been gazing out the window, but now he had fallen asleep. His fluffy, long, white hair came down to the middle of his back, and I'd say he was about an inch shorter than me, which would make him 5 foot 5 inches. While he was awake, I had noticed he had soft, chocolate-brown eyes. Not quite as dark as my own brown eyes, but not exactly light either.

Behind me was a bronze skinned boy with sort of tan, blonde hair that came down to his upper back. He was taller than me, and was very muscular. He wore a purple shirt that exposed his midriff, tan khakis, and black shoes. He had very pretty lavender eyes and a sweet smile. Looking to be around my age, I guessed he was about 16, while the other boy appeared to be 15, my exact age.

Both of these boys looked and seemed very nice. It made me wonder why they were on a train to an insane asylum. Yes, that's correct. I'm on that very same train too, but not for the reason you think.

My aunt (who isn't very nice) is the one who runs the asylum. She needed new nurses to take care of the patients. Apparently, her 15-year-old niece was one of her best options, because she forced me to do it. So now, my sister, who was also required to do this, and I were on the train with over 30 lunatics.

While I was trying to mind my own business, my sister was up and talking to everyone that would listen. And sometimes, even to people who wouldn't. Josie was a very outgoing girl and pretty much my exact opposite. She was 18, tall, muscly, thin, and beautiful. Her hair is pure white, with blue streaks dyed in several places. Her skin is fair, her nose was pierced, and she loves red lipstick. With light brown eyes and an amazing smile, she was gorgeous. And on top of all that, she's very kind, outgoing, and caring.

I, however, am none of those things. I'm 15, incredibly shy, kind of serious, and pretty quiet. My hair is brown and plain, and I have the darkest brown eyes. I'm not thin whatsoever and am a normal height of 5 foot 6 inches. My skin in just a bit tanner than Josie's, and I mainly wear jeans, converse, and t-shirts. I'm not pretty at all and wear very light makeup.

I was thinking about Josie and myself when she plopped down next to me.

"Wow, most of these people are nuts!" she giggled, "But that makes them even more fun!"

I forgot to mention that Josie's almost always happy and very optimistic.

"Yeah, if you consider getting brutally murdered fun..." I mumbled.

She laughed and punched my arm playfully. "The funnest! But I bet some of these people are actually nice. Like him!" She pointed to the white-haired boy, who was just waking up.

"W-what?..." he stuttered, wide-eyed, "H-have I done something wrong?"

"No, of course not," Josie smiled, "I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm one of the nurses, Josie."

"I'm Ryo," he smiled shyly, "w-what's your name?"

After a moment, Josie elbowed me in the ribs to indicate that Ryo was talking to me.

"Ow," I uttered and glared at Josie, then looked at Ryo, "I'm Erica..."

"Erica... That's a lovely name," he smiled at me and blushed slightly.

Feeling a blush creeping to my own cheeks, I quickly looked to the window again and mumbled, "Thanks..."

Sadly, that's the best compliment I'd ever received, other than from Josie. Ryo smiled sweetly, then looked out the window again. Josie giggled and nudged me, then put her headphones on and began to listen to music.

His simple compliment kept replaying in my mind, and I soon realized he had a British accent. These were maniacs from all around the world, so that wasn't surprising. What was shocking was that I found his accent... cute? I'd never thought of a boy as cute before, I figured no one would ever return the feelings. But as I looked at him, I realized that he was cute. Very cute.

My eyes widened and I tried my hardest to choke these emotions back. Remembering what our destination was helped a bit. But it also made a single question spring into my mind. Why was this boy going to an insane asylum?


	2. Questions

**Authors Note: I decided to update today again. I'm hoping some of you guys read my story! If you enjoy it, that's awesome!**

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Chapter 2: Questions

This boy seemed very sweet, so what had he done that labeled him as crazy?

Well, being a nurse, I had access to my patients' files. Now I just had to hope that he was mine or Josie's patient and not one of the other nurse's. I reached into my bag and took out all the papers. Looking through them, I soon found out Ryo wasn't mine. Therefore, I grabbed Josie's bright orange and yellow backpack and looked through her papers.

"Ryo..." I found myself smiling as I picked up his file. I quietly read it to myself, being extremely cautious to make sure that I was only audible enough for me to hear, no one else.

"Name: Ryo Bakura. Aliases: King of Thieves. Occupation: Student. Hair Color: White. Eye Color: Brown. Known Cases of Misconduct: Thievery, murder, and resisting arrest. Other Information: Has been seen talking to air, using disguises, and denies all crimes."

Murder? I looked towards the happy albino. He was looking out the window and smiling, presumably daydreaming. Something inside me was screaming out that this boy was not capable of even causing someone trouble, let alone killing someone. However, I kept my thoughts to myself and put the papers away. I shouldn't have worried about Ryo in the first place. All I had to be apprehensive about was doing my job correctly and pleasing my aunt. Which I would be attempting at that very moment, because the train had finally arrived at our destination.

"Okay everyone! Time to get off this hunk of metal and enter our new home!" Josie shouted cheerfully and began herding the maniacs off the train like cattle.

I grabbed my neon green backpack and slung it lazily over my shoulder, after the surprisingly orderly crowd. Peering up at the humongous building, I instantly concluded that I didn't like it. It was a giant, gray, brick building, sort of resembling a castle. Except it had no windows and a thick black wall surrounding it, complete with barbed wire at its top. There was only one door that I could see, and there were two heavily armed guards at it. There was about three different floors and three different buildings that connected to the one, ginormous main structure.

The place was huge, and that made me uneasy. More space equals more psychopaths. But I had a job to do, so I walked in, the guards closing the door behind me and taking away my last glimpse of the free, bright horizon outside. My aunt came to greet us.

"Erica, Josie. It's about time you got here," she boomed with just a twinge of a German accent, "you're currently in the main lobby. This room is for gathering newcomers and transporting out the people who have passed. The building to the right is the patients' rooms, where you'll be spending most of your time. To the left is the cafeteria, where all patients who aren't completely insane eat, nurses as well. And behind is the patients' free time area, where it is _crucial _that they are watched closely. Your quarters are in the floors above. Any questions? No? Good."

Even if there was a question on my mind, she sauntered off before I could get one word out. My Aunt Jane was a very impatient and commanding person, though she didn't really look the part. She was tall (5 foot, 9 inches), but she was creepily thin and bony. I used to have the irrational fear that she was a witch, and that she would somehow hurt me, though now I know that was somewhat preposterous, yet had just a bit of truth in it. She usually wore dark-colored clothes, mainly black, which matched the long, stringy, tangled mess of hair on her head.

Josie smiled, apparently not taking offense to our aunt's harsh tone. "So... Let's go unpack our things and get situated, then tend to our patients! Race you!"

She giggled and sprang up the steps two at a time, causing her to run into a boy with multicolored black, red, and yellow spiky hair.

"Oh, sorry!" she smiled sweetly and looked at him, noticing his white uniform, "Oh, you're a nurse too!"

The boy smiled and nodded, then spoke in a deep and sort of royal voice, "Yes, I am Yami. You must be Josie," he looked back at me and waved, "and Erica. Come with me, I'll introduce you to the other nurses."

Josie bounded ahead of him and into a random room, which turned out to be the precise room we were supposed to follow him into. Inside was a girl and a boy, the boy resembling Yami, but much shorter.

"Hello!" my joyous sister called out.

"Hey..." I mumbled and starting walking back out.

"Oh, hi!" the girl said with a smile. I glanced at her. She had dark brown hair, glasses, and brown eyes. She appeared to be Hispanic, and she was wearing a nurse uniform, like the rest of us. She was an average height, thin, and she seemed very friendly and kind. Overall, I concluded she was very pretty and probably a good friend, yet someone I would easily be jealous of. But who was I to judge so quickly?

The boy called out a merry, "Hello!", then giggled softly. He was holding the girl's hand, so I assumed they were a couple.

"This is Diana and Yugi," Yami stated, pointing to them, then Josie and myself, "and this is Erica and Josie."

I waved and smiled slightly, then walked out and to my room. I wasn't exactly a pro at making friends...


	3. Marik, Or Is It Melvin?

**Author's Note: Chapter 3! Woo! I probably won't be able to update as often after today because of school. However, if some of you review or follow my story, I would most likely get inspired to write more and update as often as possible! So please give me your opinion on my story!**

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Chapter 3: Marik. Or Is It Melvin?...

Later, after I'd unpacked and was as settled as I could be, I went to about 6 different prisoner's rooms. They were all definitely not in their right minds, but none of them attacked or tried to hurt me. In fact, other than the one in the straitjacket, no one seemed violent in any way. However, my last patient was known for multiple murders, attempted murders, and many other inhumane things.

I took a deep breath and walked to Room 14-C. (There were floors A, B, and C, and each floor had 15 rooms, each complete with its own bathroom.) I used my nurse ID card to unlock the door, then cautiously walked inside.

"Marik?..." I looked around. My job was to (if needed) feed the patient, help them into the bathroom, get them whatever they required, and, most importantly, talk to them. Though I'm not too keen on talking and very much prefer to keep my mouth shut at all times, I love to listen. Hearing people's stories, finding out their background, who they are and who they used to be. It's always interested me how words can just flow together to make up someone's whole life. However, I'll admit that I was more than just a bit nervous about hearing a murderer's story...

"Over here!" His deep voice with the slight Egyptian accent snapped me out of my thoughts and brought me back to reality. I couldn't escape to my land of words and stories just yet. I looked over at him to find he was wearing a straitjacket and sitting on his bed. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about him hurting me.

"Oh... Hi. I'm your nurse, Erica," I walked over and sat on a comfy-looking chair beside his bed, "do you need anything?"

"Nah," he smiled at me," I ate on the train and don't need to use the restroom. So you can go."

"Actually, I can't," I replied sharply, feeling rather unwanted and defensive, "one of my job requirements is to talk to you for at least 15 minutes a day, whether I like it or not." I glanced at my watch. "It's been 2."

"Fine then," he slightly furrowed his brow, "what do we talk about?"

"How about we start by you explaining to me why you'd kill a plethora of innocent people!" By now, I was scowling.

He sighed and looked away. "You wouldn't believe me..."

"Try me."

Sighing again and looking down, he began his explanation, "I've never murdered anyone. My body has, I suppose, and I'll admit to enjoying some of the kills. But I've never committed one. There's this... this... this monster in me that takes over when I get angry. But it's not me, there's a person in my mind, a dark side, a yami. However, that confuses people, so I just refer to him as my brother. His name is Melvin. He kills, using my body."

I scoffed and was about to accuse him of being a complete liar, but then he looked up and at me. I saw two things in his eyes. Not anger, nor pride, nor happiness. I saw innocence. And pure sadness. It was this awful despair in his eyes, the kind that would make you feel sad yourself. It made you feel completely alone in the world, like no one knows about you or cares about you. Or worse, it could make you feel like everyone has a deep hatred for you.

"I... I believe you..." I didn't even realize i had spoken until I saw his beautiful chasms of lavender widen.

"Y-You do?!" He was suddenly sitting up straight and looking at me, completely in shock.

I stiffened and regained my composure. Just because I truly did trust him and felt tremendously bad for him didn't mean I'd be all friendly and fun.

Narrowing my eyes, I replied, "Yes, I do. But I can't report it. People would think I should be a patient here. And I can't thoroughly trust you either. Not with a murderer inside of you."

He nodded sadly and his eyes returned to the floor.

"I-I understand..." he said in a sorrowful voice.

I softened slightly and looked at him, "So how does Melvin take over?"

Marik glanced at me, then simply responded, "He just... does. He's extremely powerful and has a short temper. When he wants to come out, he takes over. Or when I get angry or confused."

I thought carefully about his words, running them through my mind. Though I tried to remain impartial, I couldn't help being curious. And I must say truthfully that something inside me wanted to help him. I concluded that, to find a way to rid him of his demonic brother, I had to talk to Melvin myself.

Although, when I was about to tell Marik my decision, I realized he was dozing off. I supposed it could wait until my next visit, so I stood and pulled the blankets over his body.

"Goodnight, Marik. I'll see you tomorrow."

For some reason, he smiled at my words and looked up at me, very close to falling asleep.

"Goodnight, my Erica..." he replied before lazily drifting off to sleep.

Strangely enough, I felt a light blush stain my cheeks as I exited his room. _Why had he referred to me possessively? Did he see me as his own? Why did I not mind him doing so? _The thoughts echoed in my head as I returned to my room.

As I changed into my pajamas, I decided to eject those thoughts and feelings from my mind, and instead wondered how Josie was doing. Her being 18, my aunt had allowed her to help more patients than me. And knowing how talkative she was, I guessed it'd be a few hours before she returned...


	4. King of Thieves or British Cream Puff?

**Author's Note: So I've got some followers on this story! YAY! Thanks so much! Anyway, I'm sorry I can't update as often, school gets in the way of my writing... But I will as often as I can! Oh, and remember this chapter is in Josie's POV!**

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Chapter 4: King of Thieves or British Cream Puff?

~ Josie's POV ~

"So you're actually three people?!" I shouted excitedly while having tea with the alleged King of Thieves. (But he just seems like a cute little British cream puff to me!)

"That's correct," he replied politely with a sweet smile.

Ryo had just told me ALL about himself and for once, I actually understood something. He explained that his magical ring-necklace thing had the souls of past thieves living in it who were capable of taking over his body. Also, they had committed the crimes, not him.

"I call them my 'brothers', though they aren't exactly brotherly..." he kinda grumbled that part, "Anyhow, yes, we're three completely different people all inhabiting the ring."

"That's so cool!" I squealed and giggled. Erica always said I trust too easily and should think things through more, but I like me just the way I am!

He smiled, slightly surprised, "No one has ever believed me before!"

"Well, I believe in lots of things! Ghosts, witches, goblins, zombies... You name it, I most likely think it's real! But I'd believe you more if you proved it..."

"I don't know... It's not very safe..." He looked nervous, maybe even a bit scared...

"Oh... I understand..."

I'll admit, I was more than a little disappointed. Having two built-in brothers sounded awesome! I wanted to know that he was being honest.

I think he noticed my disappointment, because he said suddenly, "Well... I suppose they could come out... But I'll warn you, they're both very dangerous and I can't gain control back easily."

"That's okay. I'm tough!" My disappointment was quickly replaced with excitement. I had so many questions...

"Well, I guess I'll see you later," he smiled worriedly, then took a deep breath as the thing he referred to as the "millennium ring" began to glow. I watched with anticipation and curiosity.

As the light from the shiny necklace became blinding, I shielded my eyes. After a few minutes, the light dimmed and, ever so carefully, I looked at the boy in front of me.

One thing I was sure of was that this was definitely a different person. No longer the small, pale Ryo, this boy was an exceptional amount taller, about an inch taller than me, so around 6 feet. He had shaggy, white hair that was sort of dirty, however still silky and pretty. He had bronze skin, so I guessed he was Egyptian, and beautiful purplish-blue eyes. He wore a pair of dirty, old blue jeans and a soft, velvety, red-and-gold-colored robe. Because he bore no shirt, I could see he was extremely muscular, with a perfect six-pack as an example. Overall, if I had to describe him in three words, the words would be sexy, stunning, and very enticing.

"Whoa," I murmured to myself, wide-eyed and gasping. I had probably said a couple of swear words as well, but I can't completely recall.

The boy, surprised to be willingly let out of the ring, looked towards me. I swore I saw a light blush sweep across his cheeks and his eyes widen, if only for a moment. But those traits were rapidly replaced by an arrogant smirk.

"Hey there, gorgeous..." he said in an Egyptian accent as he came closer, "What's your name?"

My eyes widened even more as he put his large and rough, but at the same time warm hands on my slender hips and pulled me closer to him. Although my mind was screeching at me to push him away and smack him, my body and heart actually liked his closeness. They liked him touching me and they liked the feeling and freshness of his sweet, vanilla-scented breath on my face.

"Uh... I-I'm Josie... Josie Hartman... I-I'm your nurse..." I stuttered while looking up at him and gulping visibly.

"Josie... Lovely name, my dear," he smirked and cupped my chin gently, "I have many names, but you can call me Akefia. I'm also called "King Thief", "Thief King", and simply "Bakura", but Akefia will do. So what's a knockout like you doing in a place like this?"

I blushed heavily and slightly trembled. Yet, as he wrapped his arms around my waist, I strangely felt comfortable in his iron grip. Oddly, his arms felt welcoming and warm, like that's where I belonged.

"M-My... uh... My aunt owns the place... My sister and I... had t-to work here..."

"I'm glad you did," he still wore that tantalizing smirk, "because if you didn't, I wouldn't have been able to do this..."

With that, he placed his left hand on the small of my back and his right hand on my cheek, pressing my body more against his.

"Um... What are you-" I was cut off by him pressing his lips against mine. My eyes widened, but, to my surprise, I felt myself begin to kiss him back. His lips were amazingly soft and felt made for mine, thus resulting in us moving in perfect sync.

My hands moved up and I tangled my fingers in his sleek hair, closing my eyes. Feeling him stiffen, I opened my eyes to look into his purplish ones. They were wide, and his hands were frozen in place. He pulled away abruptly and quickly muttered, "I-I have to go..."

As the ring started glowing again, I noticed his cheeks were stained a deep red. This increased my confusion. _He _was the one who had kissed _me_! Why did he freak out when I kissed back?

Snapping me out of my thoughts, Akefia transformed back into Ryo. The small albino blinked, then giggled.

"What? What is it? What's so funny?" I asked in ignorance, looking at him and furrowing my eyebrows.

"Hehe... That was his first kiss... I know he seems all tough and scary, but he's never kissed anyone before... Usually girls push him away or hit him, so he was really surprised that you actually liked him back. Hehe..." At that point, Ryo burst into a cute little fit of giggles at his brother's secret shyness.

_His first kiss? _I sort of zoned out and pondered this for a moment. _How could a guy that looks like him not have had his first kiss yet?_

"I, uh, should probably go..." I briskly began scrambling to the door.

"Oh, bye! I'll see you tomorrow!" Ryo laughed, "Akefia says goodbye, too! Hehe..."

"O-Oh," I blushed and shyly smiled, "Tell him I said bye! And... And that he was my first kiss, too..."

After that, I bolted out of the room and ran to the one I shared with my younger sister. Once I entered, I slammed the door shut and sighed in relief.

Erica, who had been calmly writing in her journal, glanced up at me. "Well, how did it go, Jo?" She used my nickname before returning her gaze to her small blue notebook.

"It went... well. Very well..." I smiled at the recent memory and touched my lips, reminiscing the feeling of his pressed against them. And I didn't stop smiling all night.

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**I'd just like to point out that I know Josie can sometimes come off as a bit of an air-head... But that sort of masks her hidden cleverness and intelligence, because she's very smart when it matters. Also, I'd say it's truly innocence or naiveness, not dumbness. Josie is sort of... misunderstood. Anyway, please tell me what you think of her and the story!**


	5. Misunderstood

**Author's Note: Okay. I typed this once already, and it got deleted. Second time's the charm! **

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After a long night of restless sleep, it was time to go about my duties again. As I changed into my white skirt, white button-up shirt, red apron, and red converse, I thought about the tasks before me. Because today was a full day, I'd have to have breakfast and lunch with my patients, watch them during their free time, then do my individual checkups on them.

So my schedule for the day started at 8;30, when all patients who weren't labeled as highly dangerous reported to the cafeteria for breakfast. The highly dangerous ones had to be fed by their nurses. From 9:30 to 12, the clients got free time to play sports or buy things from the stores with money they earned from working in the cafeteria, the store itself, or were sent by their family. At noon, it was time for lunch. Then at 1:00, nurses began their checkups. However, at 7, our jobs were finished and we had our own time, unless a patient specially requested our presence.

So now, I was getting ready to go to breakfast. Unlike the patients, I only had 45 minutes to eat, then I had to go and feed 2 of the other patients that were in straitjackets. Ergo, I sat with Josie and watched our clients. I noticed she was blushing a bit every time she looked at Ryo. Something inside me was angered by this. However, I had to keep my cool, so she didn't suspect jealousy.

"Uh… So… you and Ryo?... Isn't he just a bit young for you?..." I looked at her, trying to keep the venom out of my voice.

Her head snapped to my direction and she blinked, then confusingly replied, "Ryo? What? No offense, but he is sort of…" she glanced at him, "childish. I'd never go out with him. Why would you even suggest-" She stopped abruptly and her eyes widened in realization. I assumed she'd figured out I'd seen her blushing.

Her voice changed to a hushed whisper, and she said quickly, "I have a BIG secret, but you can't tell anyone! I'll have to tell you later, but it has nothing to do with Ryo himself." She smiled and nodded, then rapidly ran off. Though I was beyond curious, I did have patients to attend to.

Just as I was about to go to the first patient, my phone rang out loudly. I slightly slowed my pace and answered it.

"Hello?" It was a number I didn't recognize, but I had presumed it was my aunt.

"Erica," a German-laced voice replied, "one of your patients has been taken away. Deemed on the verge of death. Therefore, you now only have one straitjacket prisoner. That is all." And she hung up.

Well, it was definitely Aunt Jane. But one of my patients was about to die?... That thought hit me like a bullet straight through my heart, and my eyes widened. I began speed-walking to room 14-C, my pulse quickening with each step. I murmured to myself as I broke into a sprint.

"Please don't let it be Marik… Please…" I burst through the door, already on the verge of tears.

"Marik!" I looked around frantically, but I didn't see him. I covered my face with trembling hands and let the tears flow down my cheeks silently. I don't know why I cared for him so much, I'd only met him once. And yet, here I was, bawling in an empty room. Or so I thought.

"Erica?... Are you crying?..." I heard the Egyptian accent before I even absorbed his words.

"Marik!" I turned and saw him standing near the bathroom, still wearing the bland, beige straitjacket. Not even thinking about my actions, I rapidly darted across the room and hugged him tightly.

"Uh… Yeah… Are you okay?" He looked down at me and I nodded. Finally realizing my current situation, I quickly released him and wipes my tears away, blushing in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah… I'm fine… Sorry about that…"

He laughed and looked at me. "No problem. I'd have hugged you back, but… well, I can't." The Egyptian glanced down at himself.

"Oh… Right…" I studied him carefully and bit my lip. Contemplating the last 5 minutes, I decided I must trust him. I wouldn't have been so worried about him if I didn't. So I made a possibly stupid decision and took out a small, shiny, bronze-colored key shaped like a heart at the end. "Here…"

I moved slowly and carefully, putting the key in and unlocking the locks lining his stomach and back.

"You're… letting me take it off?" he looked at me like I was the insane one, then smiled happily, "Oh, thank you!"

With that, he returned our previous hug and held me close. I blushed as I slowly hugged him back, knowing I was breaking one of my aunt's rules, but not caring.

"So…" he slowly released me, then sat on his bed.

I sat beside him and took a deep breath, trying to calm down my nervousness.

"Well… Uh… I think… I think I should speak with Melvin." I nodded, more to myself than him, remembering my train of thought.

"WHAT?!" he suddenly leaped onto me, pinning me down on the bed, his eyes wide, "NO! No, no, no! You can't do that! He'll hurt you! Or worse!"

Ignoring the redness radiating off my face, I replied, "Marik, I need to. How else am I supposed to figure everything out?"

"I don't know! But no talking to him, okay?!" All of a sudden, Marik grabbed his head and groaned loudly. He fell onto the bed beside me and shut his eyes tightly, as if he were in extreme pain.

"Marik?! What's wrong?!" I sat up quickly and pulled him closer, gently wrapping my arms around him.

"He's… coming…" he struggled to get the words out as a strange symbol began to glow on his forehead. I'm positive he grew at least a foot, and his hair began to shoot up in gravity-defying spikes. His already muscular body became even more brawny, and he slowly began to laugh in a psychotic way.

"Now Marik, the girl wants what she wants. Don't deprive her of me. His voice was extremely deep, and sounded more like many voices talking at once. It was demonic and stomach-wrenching, and his chuckle was even worse.

"Uh," I gulped, "y-you're Melvin?..."

He looked at me in mock hurt. "What? Am I not good enough for you?" he smirked, "Sorry lovely, but you were the one who requested my presence, not the other way around."

"I-I… You're right." I scowled at him. Just because he was scary and a killer didn't mean he had the right to know I was terrified.

"Oh, a fiery one, are you?" he chuckled and laid back on the bed, "Haven't seen someone like you in a LONG time…" He placed his arms behind his head and looked at me.

"My name is Erica," I said as I frowned angrily, "I'm Marik's nurse at this insane asylum. The one that YOU caused him to be admitted into! Why would you ever kill someone?!"

I was clenching my fists and seething, wondering how anyone could be so heartless and cruel. He looked at me and shrugged simply, bored expression on his face. This only increased my rage towards him.

"Easy. It's what I was made to do. I was created out of Marik's hatred and anger, I even killed his father. I'm his dark, he's my light. If I was made from his love and happiness, maybe I'd actually be loving and caring. But I was designed to hate, to kill. What else am I supposed to do?"

There was something about the way he said it, the hidden vulnerability in his voice… It made me understand. He couldn't do anything else. It was like a nurse trying to do an electrician's job. They couldn't. It's not what they had been made for. Like Melvin was made to kill and murder, not love.

However, it also made me think about how it was possible to teach a nurse to be an electrician, if the nurse was willing to learn. So maybe if Melvin was willing to love and care, I could teach him.

Lost in thought, I hadn't noticed him staring at me. Or him slowly rising into a sitting position. In fact, I hadn't really remembered he was there at all until I felt his large hand on my cheek.

"I… I'm willing to learn…" he whispered as his violet eyes bore into mine.

So he could read minds or something? Or had I been talking out loud? To be perfectly honest, I couldn't remember at all. But I knew that, right now, he was opening up to me. And judging from Marik's previous behavior, I was guessing this was out of the ordinary.

"Oh… um… Alright… I guess we could start by figuring out someone you love… Do you have any family members you care for?..."

"Hm…" his face took on a thoughtful expression and he removed his hand from my cheek. I do admit, I had wished he'd kept it there…

"Well, I suppose I share a family with Marik. His parents are both dead, and I doubt they would've liked me anyway. His sister and brother are okay, I guess. But I wouldn't exactly say I care about them."

I thought for a moment, then responded, "What about Marik?"

Melvin's face took on a slightly surprised expression, and he stayed quiet for a while. "I… I guess I do care about him, now that I think about it. He is my little brother, in a way."

"Well, there you go," I smiled, "now we just have to teach you to love other people as well. And I guess that starts with trusting people. Do you trust me?"

This time, I noticed, he didn't even have to ponder his answer. "Yes, I do. I trust you with Marik's and my own well-being her." He nodded and my smile broadened.

"Great! So now you just have to-"

I was interrupted by his massive hand covering my mouth. I squeaked and tried to lick his hand to get him to move it, but he didn't seem fazed at all.

"Hold on. I first have a question for you. Do you trust me?"

I blinked. His question surprised me, to say the least. I sort of thought he was joking, but one look at his face told me he was completely serious. Something about him looked secretly lonely, and maybe even a bit hurt. I knew he'd be able to tell if I was lying, and that it'd hurt him even more if I tried to.

So the question remained. Did I trust him? Could I truly ever trust a murderer, someone who'd killed dozens of people without even feeling the slightest bit sad? It seemed crazy to be able to say I could, and yet, I was unable to say I didn't trust him. Somewhere deep inside of me, I knew I trusted him, at least a bit.

I sighed, then gazed straight into those troubled eyes of his and answered honestly, "I don't know. I seriously don't. I feel like I shouldn't, but I think I do. I'm just… unsure."

I bit my lip, fearing he might be angered by my words. However, my answer seemed to be just the one he was looking for.

"Very well," he nodded and went back to his relaxed, laying down position, losing all of his earlier openness, "so now what do we do? Find me a lover? Because, you know, you'd fit the job pretty well, lovely…"

His infamous smirk returned and he eyed me, enjoying the blush that instantly bounced off my face.

"What?! No way! I-I don't like you like that!" I felt more than a bit self-conscious and glanced at the clock, "Oh, look at the time, I must be going!"

It was true that I had to leave, it was 10:38 and lunch would be coming soon, not to mention I had some paperwork to fill out. But I would've left anyway. I couldn't let him fluster me more, oh no, that would make me start thinking things that I hadn't thought about in ages.

Yet, I couldn't get him out of my bizarre mind the rest of the morning…


End file.
